Wrench with cam actuated pivoted jaws



Aug. 12, 1952 E. s. DOWNS WRENCH WITH CAM ACTUATED PIVOTED JAWS Filed Dec. 2, 1946 gI I/I/I/A 50 /7? 6. pan ms Patented Aug. 12, 1952 WRENCH WITH CAM AGTUATED PIVOTED JAWS Edgar S. Downs, Evansville. Ind., assignor to Clyde E. Yost, Evansville, Ind.

Application December 2, 1946, Serial No. 713,549

3 Claims. (Cl. 813.44)

The present invention relates to wrenches. such as those designed for opening and closing the closures of bottles, jars and the like, and aims generally to improve and simplify existing wrenches of that type.

One of the primary objects of the invention is the provision of a wrench having a plurality of closure-engaging jaws which may be readily extended and retracted to engage closures and like articles of varying sizes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a jar or like wrench-extensible and retractible jar-gripping jaws extending from opposite faces of said wrench whereby the wrench is rendered more adaptable for a variety of uses.

A still further object of the invention is to generally improve and simplify the construction of such wrenches to improve the operating characteristics and lessen the cost of construction and assembly.

The above and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a consideration of the accompanying drawings and annexed specification illustrating and describing a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a jar wrench embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; 7

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the wrench shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as viewed from the head end;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view as taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the head end of the handle member;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view illustrating the interior of the rotary member; and

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the jaw members.

Referring to the drawings, the wrench preferably comprises a handle or base member 5 having a grip portion 6 and an enlarged head or body portion 1. The handle member is advantageously stamped from a single piece of sheet metal, and the head or body I may advantageously be of circular shape as shown in Fig. 5. The head or body I may be provided with a central stud-receiving aperture 8 and a plurality of radially disposed apertures 9 providing pivot openings for a plurality of work-gripping jaws later to be described.

Pivotally mounted on the head or body I are a plurality of chordal jaw arms In slidably supported on the inner face of the head member 7 and having pivotal bearing in the apertures 9 by means of an integral angularly extending finger or pivot H at one end thereof. The jaws conveniently are of general T-shape with the crosshead [2 of the Tforming the outer end of the arm If! and disposed normal to the plane of the head I. The crosshead has atits terminal ends cam-shaped jaws [3 having bevelled work-engaging faces l4 terminating in a sharp materialbiting edge l5.

The arms [0 are adapted to be swung laterally about their pivot pivotal axes H, and thus move thecrosshead I2 of the T and the work-engaging faces 14 carried thereby toward and from the peripheral edge of the head I of the base or handle portion, and thus position the jaws ready to engage circular pieces of work oi. varying diameters.

The work-engaging jaws l3 and jaw arms Ill are retained in assembled relation with the head portion 1 of the handle or base member 5 and are actuated to extended and retracted position by means of a rotary retainer and actuator l6. The actuator conveniently may be in the form of a cup-shaped housing having a top wall ll centrally apertured at l8 and a peripheral flange l9 conforming generally in shape to the circular head I of the handle member. The peripheral wall or flange I9 is formed with a plurality of equidistantly spaced notches 20 through which the arms Ill extend.

The retainer and actuator housing 16 is rotatably mounted'upon the head 1, being rotatably supported on a stud orpivot 2| riveted or otherwise suitably supportedin the central aperture '3 of the head 1. Thus the chordal arms I!) are, for the most part, confined within the housing It and therebyretained'in assembly with the head 1, in which they are pivotally mounted. As the housing is rotated relatively to the head or body plate 1, the arms II] are swung outwardly or inwardly by reason of their free extremities extending through the notches 20 of the retainer flange [9.

The retainer it is normally tensioned to a position in which the jaws l3 of the arms ID are in wardly adjacent the flange l9 and peripheral edge of the head portion 1 and conveniently this may be accomplished by means of a coil spring 22 surrounding the pivot 2i and having its ends fast to the plate 1 and housing top wall l1, respectively. Such fastening may conveniently be effected by striking a tongue 23 from the part to which the spring end is to be fastened, and then clinching the tongue tightly over the spring end.

Actuation of the housing 16 to effect rotation thereof relatively to the head or base I preferably is accomplished by means of an actuating arm 25 which may be an integral angular extension of the peripheral flange l9. Preferably the arm 25 has an offset end 26 disposed relatively close to the handle 5 (less than 90 degrees) so that both the handle 5 and the offset end 26 may be engaged by one hand of the user. As the arm 25 is swung toward the handle 5, the retainer I6 is rotated to swing the jaws l3 and arms I!) outwardly to receive the work. Release of the arm 25 permits the spring 22 to rotate the retainer [6 in the reverse direction and retract the arms so that the bevel faces 14 of the jaws l3 grip the Work.

The provision of the T-shaped jaw arms with the work-engaging faces on the crosshead thereof provides a plurality of work-engaging faces spaced from opposite sides of the assembled head 1 and actuating member I5, so that the tool is reversible to engage the work from either side.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible of being embodied in a simple compact unit composed of a minimum number of parts, readily manufactured and assembled at a minimum cost. The jaw arms ll) of novel construction may be quickly assembled with the head merely by inserting the bearings in the aperture 9 of the head I. The actuating member I 6, which serves as a cover and retainer for the jaw arms, is a unitary member secured to the head by a single fastening, thus contributing to the low cost of assembly.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of wrench, the invention is obviously not restricted to the particular details thereof as the scope of the invention is best defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wrench comprising an elongated handle portion provided with a circular jaw-supporting head adjacent one end, a plurality of workengaging jaws pivotally mounted at one end on said head, said jaws extending from their pivotal points chordally across said head and being provided at their opposite ends with a laterally offset work-engaging face disposed outside of and adjacent to the periphery of said head, a cupshaped jaw-retaining and actuating member rotatably mounted on said head and provided with notched peripheral portions embracing each of said jaws, spring means interposed between said head and member normally biasing said member in retracted position with the workengaging faces of said jaws toward the peripher} of said head, and means for rotating said head in an opposite direction to swing said jaws about their pivotal axes to move the work-engaging faces thereof radially outwardly.

2. A wrench comprising an elongated handle portion provided with a circular jaw-supporting head adjacent one end, a plurality of workengaging jaws pivotally mounted at one end on said head, said jaws extending from their pivotal points chordally across said head and being provided at their opposite ends with a laterally offset leg extending to a terminal plane spaced from said head, an integral work-engaging face disposed in said terminal plane parallel to said head outside the periphery thereof, a cup-shaped jaw-retaining and. actuating member rotatably mounted on said head and provided With notched peripheral portions embracing each of said jaws, spring means interposed between said head and member normally biasing said member in retracted position with the work-engaging faces of said jaws toward the periphery of said head, and means for rotating said head in an opposite direction to swing said jaws about their pivotal axes to move the work-engaging faces thereof radially outwardly.

3. A wrench comprising an elongated handle portion provided with a circular head adjacent one end, said head having a central upstanding post and a plurality of circularly arranged apertures, a plurality of elongated work-engaging jaws each having an angularly extending pivot post at one end fitted in one of said'apertures, said jaws extending chordally across said head and provided with a laterally offset rigid workengaging and gripping face disposed outside the periphery of and in spaced relation to said head, an actuating member rotatably mounted on said post and provided with a notched depending flange embracing each of said jaws adjacent the laterally offset faces thereof, spring means interposed between said head and member normally biasing said member in retracted position with the work-engaging faces of said jaws toward the periphery of said head, and means for rotating said head in an opposite direction to swing said jaws about their pivotal axes to move the workengaging faces thereof radially outwardly.

EDGAR S. DOWNS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 391,533 Howard Oct. 23, 1888 1,394,388 Wisenberg et a1. Oct. 18, 1921 1,895,638 Milling Jan. 31, 1933 2,478,471 Edlund Aug. 9, 1949 

